Beau’s Altbier

Beau’s Altbier bills itself as a “German style amber ale”, and that’s just what it is. Born in Vankleek Hill, Ontario to Beau’s Brewing Co., Beau’s Altbier is a 4.7% ale sold in 473mL cans. It’s a handsome beer—clear ruddy amber that pours with a healthy measure of eggshell head.

The ale has a rich, roasted malt aroma and significant bready notes. The flavour is many things: earthy, bready, and slightly metallic, with notes of honey and roasted malt. The beer has some unexpected bitterness at the back end.

Beau’s Altbier is a treat. It’s extremely flavourful for a low alcohol ale and a strong representation of an underrepresented style.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Astrolabe Session IPA

Named on honour of the astrological/navigational instrument, Astrolabe Session IPA is a 5% brew from Fosters Falls, Ontario. Produced by Whitewater Brewing Co., Astrolabe comes in 473mL cans and it packs a 60-IBU wallop.

Hazy orange-gold in colour, Astrolabe pours with a layer of snowy white fluff. It has a juicy apricot and mango aroma and a comparable flavour, building to a fairly hefty, dank hops finish.

This flavourful session IPA packs a bunch of flavour into a relatively low alcohol package. I enjoyed my first can of the stuff while glued to the Blue Jays 2019 home opener, and it was a great accompaniment to a fast-paced pitcher’s duel. I’ll definitely buy this beer again—hopefully it continues to be available in Ontario’s state-run liquor stores.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Trash Panda Hazy IPA

Sold in 473mL cans emblazoned with a garbage-raiding, evil raccoon, Trash Panda Hazy IPA is a 5.5% alcohol beer from Vancouver, British Columbia’s Parallel 49 Brewing Company. The beer is hazy, golden orange in colour, and it pours with a sudsy white head.

Trash Panda has a pleasant orange juice aroma. The flavour is also pretty orange-focused, with a creamy, slightly thin mouthfeel, and a finish that adds an element of citrus bitterness to the persistent orange vibe.

The hazy IPA from Parallel 49 was tasty, but it was also a bit thin, and could certainly have stood to be a wee bit stronger booze-wise. I’d also have liked a bit more hops assertiveness.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Mountain Lager

Collingwood, Ontario is the fount of Mountain Lager, a 4.7% alcohol Munich-style helles. During the first round of March Madness in 2019, I needed something crisp with session-friendly stats, so I reached for a 473mL can of this clear, golden lager from Side Launch Brewing Company.

Mountain Lager has a mild, approachable nose built around cereal and grass notes, with a noble hop undercarriage. It has a crisp, thirst quenching mouthfeel, a grainy, dry flavour, and a style-appropriate floral hop finish.

Mountain Lager is a refreshing and flavourful take on the helles lager. It marries crisp and flavourful in a tasty union. I wouldn’t whine if they upped the percentage to 5, but that’s a pretty minor gripe about an otherwise well-made lager.

Rating; 8.5 out of 10.

Theoretikal Zero

A bit of an oddity in the hop-heavy world of craft beer collaborations, Theoretikal Zero is a double dry-hopped beer made with no hops in the boil. Brewed in Barrie, Ontario, TZ is a collab between Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery and L’Anjub out of Vinebre, Spain. The 4.8% session IPA is sold in 473mL cans. According to the copy, the beer has, at least in theory, 0 IBUs.

Whatever the IBU count, TZ is a beautiful looking beer: slightly hazy, orange-gold, and topped with a fluffy bright white foam. It has a juiced, perfumed, and slightly floral aroma, and a flavour rich in peach and tangerine notes up front and a light dose of citrus bitterness. The mouthfeel is light and breezy, though it is a bit more thin and less crisp than I’d have wished.

An interesting concept with a flavourful result, Theoretikal Zero is an enjoyable brew. Too thin and insufficiently crisp, but otherwise really well executed, I’d buy this stuff again for sure.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Tokyo Rose

In exchange for a couple of hours of moving furniture, my ol’ pal MT offered to buy my a couple of beers from Halo Brewery. One of my selections was Tokyo Rose, a saison brewed with rose hips. A Torontonian beer, Tokyo Rose contains 6.4% alcohol and comes in 500mL bottles with attractive labels.

The beer is a cloudy pinkish gold number topped with a fluff of snowy white head. Tart and funky to the nose, Tokyo Rose has an engaging tang. The flavour is yeasty, with a floral perfume element, and an understated bitter finish.

Tokyo Rose is a well-executed saison with a faint rose lilt and a solid texture.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Candle Burner Coffee IPA

Brewed using Ethiopian Sidamo coffee from the folks at Planet Bean Coffee, Candle Burner Coffee IPA is a 6.2%, 55 IBU brew from Guelph, Ontario’s Wellington Brewery. The beer comes in 355mL bottles, from which it emerges slightly hazy and highly carbonated, with an unexpectedly light golden colour and a fluffy white crown.

Candle Burner has a spicy, bitter nose with a hint of roasted java. Unlike the aroma, where coffee was just a suggestion, CB’s flavour has a surfeit of bitter bean juice in parallel with some citrus hoppiness that gains steam as the finish approaches.

Wellington’s coffee IPA has some character and lots of flavour. It’s not the kind of beer you’d drink in volume, but the stuff sure is lovely as a one off. I’d have liked a bit more pop, booze-wise, but the IBU count was on point.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.